Prevalence of self-reported anxiety and self-medication among upper and middle socioeconomic strata amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Amidst corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, disruption to the usual ways of life can lead to anxiety and feeling of being unsafe, which may be associated with self-medication. The study was planned to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected through an anonymous online survey with questionnaire consisting of four sections: demographic data of the participants, validated COVID-19 Anxiety Inventory Items, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and self-medication practices during COVID-19 pandemic. The data were organized and analyzed using Windows Microsoft excel and SPSS software (Version 21). Descriptive statistics were calculated for all patient characteristics and survey responses. Analytical analysis included relationship between various parameters using Chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 1100 responses were received. Approximately half of the participants were worried about getting severely ill. Majority reported reduced social contact (71.3%, n = 784) and also communicated that the pandemic has influenced their use of safety measures (86.5%, n = 951). The prevalence of mild-to-moderate, moderate-to severe, and extremely severe anxiety cases were 23.1%, 4.7%, and 0.54%, respectively. One-fourth of the responders reported self-medication, out of which 60% were found to be anxious. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were most commonly used. CONCLUSIONS: Rising to the present challenge will require integration across different sectors with the immediate aim of getting people safely through the pandemic. As the world focuses on containing and delaying the spread of the COVID-19, with burdened health-care systems, we should not miss out on people with anxiety disorders and self-medication problem, which may worsen with the pandemic.

Prevalence and predictors of self‐medication drugs to prevent or treat COVID‐19: Experience from a Middle Eastern country

“…They mostly used NSAIDs (36%), antiulcer drugs and antihistamines. Comparable to our findings, females 33 , 34 and married participants 34 had more likelihood to practice‐self medications. These results are in concordance with self‐medication practices globally, where females showed a higher prevalence of self‐medication in general.…”

“…Chopra et al, evaluated self‐medication practices in upper and middle socioeconomic classes of India amidst the pandemic. 34 Out of 1100 respondents, about 25% of them had taken medicine without consultation. They mostly used NSAIDs (36%), antiulcer drugs and antihistamines.…”

The impact of COVID-19 prevention and control policy adjustment on anxiety, depression and coping behavior in China: a Cross-sectional Online Survey, 21-28 December, 2022

“…When the level of depression or anxiety increases, the possibility of self-medication, seeking professional treatment, and using online services of medical institutions will increases. A survey from India [11] showed that 24.2% of the public had taken medicine without a prescription, and more self-medication appeared among anxious respondents. Self-medication occurred in most patients (88.9%) in our study and more frequently in patients with depression (90.8%, None is 86.1%) and anxiety (91.2%, None is 87.9%).…”

“…PHQ-9 presented respondents with 9 statements, each with a four-point scale and the total score ranged from 0 to 27. According to the score of 9 statements, the depression is assigned and divided into 5 4 levels: none (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), moderately severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), severe (20-27). Anxiety scores were measured by the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale [5].…”

“…Similar to PHQ-9, GAD-7 also presented respondents with 7 statements, each with a four-point scale and the total score ranged from 0 to 21. The anxiety is assigned and divided into 4 levels: none (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). The Chinese versions of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 have been demonstrated to have good reliability and validity [6,7].…”